


There were only two girls

by the_six_fingered_villain



Category: Split (2016)
Genre: everyone is their worst self here, everything is bad and dark, no Casey in sight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 04:28:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17656052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_six_fingered_villain/pseuds/the_six_fingered_villain
Summary: What if there was no Casey, no third girl. This is just a brief look at the Horde given room to do their thing and who they might run into along the way.





	There were only two girls

**Author's Note:**

> You probably don't want to read this. I wrote it to cope with having an overly social weekend. It's terrible and it's all really hand wave-y, so don't get your hopes up.

They disposed of the bodies via the lions the next day. When Dennis came to, he hadn't been that surprised to find the mauled bodies of the two girls left behind. They'd been torn at, savaged with a ferocity that went beyond just saying they'd been 'killed', though that was the short of what had happened. They'd killed two girls and the harsh reality of that needed to be dealt with. Which was why Dennis had been once again been in the Light.  He'd looked up and down the hallway, offering only a heavily sigh as he'd observed the blood trail about the apartment. About the apartment and then very clearly out of it. The signs that he'd returned through that door were fainter, the gore that covered his hands and face fresh enough but the only thing that mattered right then had been to keep Kevin safe. Which meant not getting caught. Which meant disposing of the bodies. And thankfully, it was easy enough.

 

Once it was looking like they'd gotten away with it, that no one knew or suspected them, they relaxed a bit and allowed others to take the Light. A handful of days turned into a week and they were up to ten other alters who could be trusted when the Beast made his needs known again. He spoke to all of them in one way or another, but most the interpretation of the Beast's vision and planning fell onto Dennis and Patricia. They'd shown themselves to be worthy of this act, strong enough for it. While the others claimed to understand the Beast, they could not be trusted not cower in the face of this work. They might be weak and do something foolish, like call the authorities.

 

The next time it was a set of four cheerleaders. The girls wore distractingly short skirts, it put Dennis on edge. Patricia kept him on a short leash once again, constantly vigitant and encouraging the child to intrude on his time. He still managed to get one of the girls stripped down to her underwear this time however. Last time Patricia had caught him before the girl'd removed anything more than a sweater. This time they'd reached the stage where she was sobbing, standing before him with arms crossed, as if that would do anything. He took what satisfaction he could from it, which was quite a lot, and weathered the scolding he got for his actions after the girl had been clothed and bound once again.

 

That time it'd been Patricia who took the Light after the Beast had finished his work. She'd told him it was glorious and he wasn't quite sure which part she was referring to. There'd still been four bodies to deal with, which was not trivial, but it was true that the Beast had made himself known this time. There'd been a severed hand apparently, Patricia was a vague when describing all that had happened directly after, but the video footage that was all over the news had been vivid. The Beast had gotten out, had attacked a series of individuals. Not all of the reported incidents had footage but at least two of the attacks had been caught by a crowd with cell phones and it was undeniable. He'd only crawled on a wall in one of them, but in both he demonstrated uncanny, unnatural movements and strength. Dennis caught himself getting lost in watching the footage on more than one occasion, mesmerized by sight.

 

It was only weeks later that the press finally caught on that the Beast, the few occasions that he'd shown himself, had seemed to target only exclusively what seemed like shady as fuck individuals. Several victims had been higher profile and their families and estates had pushed back hard at such a classification. It didn't matter though. They'd already collected three additional rounds of offerings before the broader public began to see the Beast's grander scheme and they were falling into a pattern, developing a system, getting better at this.

 

The authorities swore they were going to crack down and get that guy, but none of the Horde were particularly concerned. It didn't seem like the officers had linked the series of kidnappings with the sudden vigilantism, something Dennis though quite ridiculous on their part. Patricia and Dennis were careful. They still couldn't time it quite right, sometimes having to hold the offerings for days before the Beast decided to actually emerge. The times when it was quick were the best, Patricia would always loudly proclaim. Dennis suspected she secretly enjoyed keeping the offerings just as much as he did. They both knew that they were for the Beast and neither let the other forget that it was only the two of them trusted enough with this task. This sacred, holy, vital task. He was sure she reminded him while she revelled in it, just as he did. 

 

At some point the press had seemed to settle on the idea that there were two, or more, abnormal individuals on the loose. The one that savaged those who had escaped the punishment of law or had not yet had the chance to suffer it had been named the Prowler. There were many allusions to Batman and an ongoing comedic gag was to guess which celebrity was secretly Philadelphia's nighttime hero. There was a serious criminal investigation into him, regardless of how justifiably the attacks may have been. The one entity that kidnapped girls, who just whisked them away into the night never to be seen or heard from again, was not given a cute name. The fear there was too real. The idea that it was just one individual wasn't even fully agreed upon. It wasn't a safe time for a lot of people, why would anyone think a series of missing teens were necessarily related. Some of the girls probably wanted to run off, more than one exhausted city official would argue.

 

And so it was rather easy to continue operating as they were. Dennis and Patricia's time in the light was tidal, swelling every time the Beast's needs were expressed and then receding as they continued to blend into the general public, affecting the same uneasy expressed horror that many in the city seemed to now constantly live with. The two of them both lived for these dark phases they fell into, finding the only time they had in the Light seemed to be serving these new sets of routine needs. Dennis and Patricia had figured out a system at this point, the two of them working alone to ensure success. They'd come to the reluctant agreement of allowing Dennis to strip one of the offerings once every other day till the Beast collected them, both parties feeling they'd given too much ground.

 

The latest offerings had just been collected, their unconscious forms placed with care and exceptional attention upon beds in the room. The smell of paint was heavy in not just their room but the room beyond it, where Dennis paced, waiting for them to awaken. The last group had been a noisy bunch, loud and desperate and quite destructive. Dennis hadn't been sorry that the Beast arrived soon after their collection. The drywall had needed to be repaired after that and the entire room repainted once again.

 

It wasn't long before the familiar soft sounds of sobbing and frantic whispering could be heard on the other side of the door. He stepped over to it and heard someone draw back. There were always constants across the different groups, he thought as his hand hovered above the knob.  One of which was the fact that one or more of them would always listen at the door. Patricia found it amusing and compared them to prairie dogs, Dennis was just grateful that it meant every time he entered the room they were always at attention, at the ready.

 

He stood there for a moment longer, savoring it. At first he'd been uncertain, uncomfortable almost with the idea of what needed to be done. Now that he'd seen so much of what the Beast was capable of, of the changes and impact he was having- the Prowler's reputation and looming threat already appeared to having far reaching effects on the city- Dennis was willing to accept this part of it. Willing and able and by now almost enjoying his part in it.

 

When he did eventually throw open the door, they huddled on the beds like they always did. Since they'd settled on four these days, the offerings normally paired up though more than once he'd found them cowering in one massive pathetic pile of fright and trembling young flesh. This time there were three of them weeping on one bed, arms twined about each other, while the fourth one sat on the other bed. He'd indulge again, all four of them relatively young women. One of them, the nearest in the frightened trio had caught his attention when he'd first grabbed them. It was tempting to sit and just observe them for a while, to take his time when making his choice. Patricia however got anxious when she knew he was with the offerings, her attempts to check in growing in frequency the longer he took.

 

The girl of course cried out and practically collapsed to the floor when he tried to drag her from the bed. The other two echoed the sound, the wailing filling what had been an empty, silent room. He'd used to explain to them what they were there for but he realized that it never mattered. They always screamed and fought and cried and begged all the same, he'd leave it to Patricia to inform them if she thought it actually useful. The Impure were incapable of understanding, that's what made them Impure.

 

This one struggled against his grip and her friends held out their hands to her as they sobbed, but no one offered a real resistance. He'd dragged the wailing girl through the doorway and was reaching to slam the door closed behind him when he caught the eye of the silent fourth. She sat unmoving in wide eyed observation, and then the sight of the room was cut off, the door locked once again, and his attention focused on the girl he held. 

 

He'd occasionally dragged the girls to different parts of the house, to enjoy himself in peace far from the screaming that such a removal usually provoked. Someone had found an item of clothing from his offering the one time he'd failed to collect everything and Jade had privately let him know that it freaked the others out. No one spoke directly about what Patricia and especially what Dennis had done. They'd talk around it, understanding and admiring the power of the Beast just as he and Patricia did but unable to acknowledge the big picture. The line appeared to have been formalized and only thirteen of the alters, counting the original Horde, had been willing to accept the Beast's work. Dennis suspected most of them just wanted so desperately to have time in the Light that they'd compromised on what they thought was right without really trying to understand.

 

With an angry shake of his head, Dennis shoved the girl onto the floor before him and refocused his thoughts. There wasn't a lot of time and he wanted to enjoy himself as much as possible. Stepping back, arms crossed, he began to instruct the terrified young woman before him. Thankfully she was compliant, choked sobs and soft whimpers being the only protests she offered as she did as he commanded. Sometimes the girls wouldn't do as he asked and he'd gotten angry. Those times were unfortunate, Patricia and the other offerings made equally unhappy by the sight of what he'd had to do. 

 

Patricia interrupted only twice to ensure he was not overly defiling the girl. Dennis understood that she was to be sacred food for the Beast, understood why there were limits, but he still found it difficult to limit himself. This time he did manage to restrain himself and the girl was shoved back into the room with the others, bundle of cloths clasped to her chest. They'd heard everything, or at least a muffled version of it, and the pair were again cowering on the bed, far from the door when he'd opened it. The fourth was still on her bed though she appeared to just be reclining, arms crossed, and she again caught his eye for half a second before the door slammed closed.

 

As usual Patricia wanted the Light soon after he was done. She claimed it was concern for the offerings, wanting to check on them an ensure they were all right, were adjusting ok. He suspected she liked seeming them so riled up right after he'd frightened them. He didn't know how long it took the girls to dress again once he'd finished with them- he'd already found watching them do so was more distressing than it was worth. When they were crying they always pulled on skirts askew or buttoned up blouses wrong and it was just infuriating. He didn't mind the irritation at the start, when he could use it to scold them more but by the end he was done with them and just wanted them gone from his sight. 

 

~ * ~

 

Hedwig was playing in his room when he and Patricia found themselves once again whispering to each other as they sat in the chairs. During times like these, the others leaned far away from them and pointedly tried not to listen to the planning that passed between the two. Those who were still resisted the truth of the Beast had been corralled and kept further away from them, the rest of the cooperative alters good for something at least beyond passing their daily life innocuous enough to avoid detection.

 

"I think there's a problem," Patricia whispered to him, keeping her voice low. "One of the offerings... is strange." She glanced over to him, to perhaps gauge his reaction to this news.  He wondered if she was trying to make an accusation about the quality of what he'd collected for the Beast. "She's behaving... differently. Abnormally. In animals, that's usually a sign of disease, illness. I'm worried she might not be... suitable."

 

"Which one?" he asked gruffly, worried she was trying to formulate another reason why he couldn't have have what little they'd agreed upon. The girl yesterday had been left frightened, overwhelmed, but no different than the others he'd used similarly. The Beast hadn't complained, to the best of his knowledge, and he was prepared to fight for what he wanted, needed, if need be.

 

"Didn't you notice a quiet one? The other three seem to sense it too, every time I checked on them she was always on her side of the room, by herself." She paused to shoot an inquisitive Luke a glare and the the man quickly looked elsewhere, playing at not paying attention. "I'm... wondering if we shouldn't... keep her," she continued. "I don't want the Beast to get ill... I've not seen her cry once, she just stares. And not in that frightened way most of them do. Strikes me as unnatural," she ended with, crossing her legs and lacing fingers atop her knee.

 

Dennis nodded slowly, mind already skipping ahead. "So... we shouldn't offer her? She's not fit for the Beast? I mean, I trust your judgement on such things," he hastened to add, worried he sounded too excited by the idea. Patricia sighed and continued to voice her concerns, teetering between unease about the quality of the Beast's diet and distress at what he would say if he found his request not met. There'd been one week when Dennis had only been able to acquire two offerings when the Beast had clearly asked for four and it hadn't gone well for anyone. Patricia had assured Dennis she understood, his work wasn't easy, but the tone had been condescending and he knew he'd lost favor for a period of time there.

 

"I think you should decide," she eventually settled on, which surprised him. "When you... see them again, do let me know what you find." It didn't seem like a pity handoff of some trivial decision. Dennis knew Patricia valued the Beast's well being above all else, even Kevin's he secretly suspected though she'd vehemently deny it if accused. Licking is lips, Dennis nodded slowly, trying remain calm. It would be a while before he had the Light again and he passed the time wondering what they'd do if they decided the offering was unworthy. What he'd be able to do, specifically.

 

~ * ~

 

Dennis found himself back in the Light the moment they'd returned home from his last shift. These periods of time when Patricia and Dennis worked to prepare for the Beast were hard on the others, the time at their home given exclusively to the three original Horde members to handle the offerings or, at least in Hedwig's case, to not do anything foolish like releasing anyone or growing attached. Hedwig knew he wasn't allowed near the offerings and while occasionally they would mention having seen him, no harm had come of it yet and both Dennis and Patricia had turned a blind eye to the infrequent misbehavior. In general, Dennis let Patricia handle the child and if she didn't feel the need to call out the breaking of what few rules had been established.... he wasn't going to step in, though he personally disapproved. One of these days an offerings might be able to get under the young boy's skin, get into his head, and trouble would surely follow.

 

Checking his watch, he was happy to know they'd returned home on the early side, leaving plenty of time for Dennis before Patricia was set to feed the offerings. This time he'd been asked to look at them, asked to evaluate them, so he decided to take the chair in with him. He wasn't being bad, he was doing the work Patricia had specifically asked him to do. It was the third day of holding onto these offerings, and Dennis felt certain the Beast would collect what was his tonight. But given the pact he'd established with Patricia, it also meant it was his day to collect as well.

 

He placed the chair in the room with his usual routine, settling down with a stern expression though deep within him he felt a surge of satisfaction. Delight almost. Crossing his arms over his chest, he took his time examining the collection of them. The girl he'd chosen on that first day hung her head and silently stared at the floor, though he only caught glimpses of her as one of her friends tried to shield her from him with her own body. That one glared at him defiantly but with a definite wobble to the lip. They'd collected several of her kind already- initially strong but quick to scare. Dennis's tongue darted out unconsciously to lick his lip, seeing already how it'd go when he chose her. He'd already knew what he was going to tell Patricia, that the girl wasn't good enough for the Beast, that they should let him dispose of her. Which meant he'd have all the time he'd want with her later. Tonight could therefore be spent with one of the others and he believed he already knew which one he'd pick.

 

The third of the trio was easy to reject, she sobbed with such vigor and passion that her nose ran and spittle dripped from her lips. Starting with someone so sloppy never went well. With effort, Dennis dragged his gaze over to the other bed to find the girl just sitting there, looking at him. One knee was casually drawn up, arms wrapped loosely around it, and her stare direct. He felt his lip twitch down into a frown for a second and he shifted in his seat. It hadn't been till the third group that one of the offerings had actually tried to full out attack him. Obviously it hadn't gone well and Patricia had scolded him for days about it. She'd made it clear she'd much rather him react sooner if he sensed there'd be a problem rather than waiting and letting it escalate. She repeated that several times. She appeared very concerned with things escalating. 

 

The girl had no tension to her however and he couldn't bring himself to believe the lie that any premature action he took was in self defense. They stared at each other for a long period of silence, so long that the sobbing one managed to get herself back under control somewhat and for the overly brave one to work herself up into a fit of stupidity.

 

"P-Please. Don't hurt us. We'll- We'll be good," the girl mumbled, licking her lips and bringing her hands forward towards him. "Y-You don't have to hurt us. We'll be good. I- I-" Nervously she looked back over towards her silent friend. Dennis managed to tear his gaze away from the silent girl and looked back towards the first girl with a frown. The bravest of the group seemed to be offering herself to him and his breath hitched. Patricia had warned him about this, Dennis reminded himself as the girl held out her hands to him in supplication. She'd warned him repeatedly and he'd been waiting, hoping for such an encounter for a while now. 

 

He didn't even have to move, to say anything, the girl just started tugging off her shirt all on her own. The sight was riveting. Mesmerizing. Enchanting. With a sharp inhale, the feeling of Patricia checking in had his head whipping back to the left, half expecting the silent girl to be mid-attack. The hair on his arm stood up as an uneasy feeling passed over him. They were tricking him, he was suddenly sure of it. This was some trick to get him to lower his defenses, just like Patricia had warned him of. It explained the girl's willingness and the unnatural calm the other one exuded.

 

"Shut up," he barked, jerking his head. "Sit down, I didn't tell you to move." The girl immediately shrank back to the bed, cowering. "You don't move till I tell you to move." Only the bold one nodded her head when he said this. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You think you can trick us? Trick me?" The girl frantically shook her head, eyes widening as she pressed back against her traumatized friend. The frightened one began to cry again at this and Dennis rubbed his hands on his pants legs, frustration mounting. Leaning back again, trying to look relaxed, he turned towards the other girl.

 

After a moment of staring at her she literally blinked first and said, "No. I've been trying to convince them, it's over. We're definitely going to die." She shrugged and looked over at the trio with pursed lips. "She came up with that idea all on her own." Dennis looked back at the girl who a moment ago had been acting so brave. She was watching him, blinking tears from her eyes as she clung to her friend's neck.

 

"I choose you," he growled, standing up and moving the chair out of the room as the girl meekly followed him. He paused, hand on the doorknob as he glared at the silent girl in the corner. "Behave," he said in an angry voice before slamming the door shut. 

 

~ * ~

 

Patricia was mindful as she unlocked the door, swinging it open fully to verify all four girls were sitting on their beds as they should be, before she reached down to retrieve the tray. Dennis had been particularly distracted when he'd given his report on the girl and she liked it not at all. Of course he said they should pull the offering, she'd have expected nothing else given his nature. When he followed it up with a hesitant question of whether she'd spoken with the girl about the Beast or not she was, however, surprised. She'd given the typical spiel, a sort of sermon in a way, that she'd trimmed down to only a few brief lines. Occasionally she'd go on longer and they'd become restless enough to become disrespectful. No one enjoyed when that happened. Best to start with a positive note and only explain as much as absolutely needed.

 

Settling one tray on the crowded bed, she placed herself and then the second tray upon the other one, inches from the silent young woman. Eye contact was held for a brief moment before the girl dropped her gaze and reached out to draw her tray closer and wrap her hands around the sandwich. Patricia forestalled the bite by lightly laying a hand across both hers. "Tell me, dear. What do you know of the Beast?" 

 

The girl's gaze clearly jumped to the other bed and then back to her hands. Without looking up, she replied, "Only what you told us. That he's coming soon, like really soon, and we're his sacred food."

 

Patricia didn't move her hand and the girl said nothing more for a long stretch of time. "Tell me," she asked, tipping her head to the side, "How does that make you feel?"

 

There was a pause as the girl blinked and clearly thought about it for a moment. "Fine?" Patricia licked her lips and glanced over at the other bed. The three girls had all been staring at the two of them and immediately turned back to their sandwiches when caught. 

 

"Fine?" Patricia repeated, turning back to the girl and arching an eyebrow. "Don't you wish to know more about Him?"

 

The girl held still for a moment before shrugging and muttering, "Yeah, sure, I'd love to hear it. Tell me all about it. Why not? He's going to be here soon, right?" Patricia nodded her head solomy and the weepy one on the other bed broke out crying even louder. Unfortunately a gaze alone was not enough to shut her up but Patricia didn't feel like moving quite yet. Turning back to the curious one, she smiled and explained in more detail about the Beast's role in protecting the broken and the costs that such efforts incurred. About what that might be. About exactly what the toll they'd been collected for was. Now all three girls on the other bed were weeping as Patricia stared hard at the girl in front of her, frowning slightly. 

 

"He's going to eat you, you foolish child," she tried to explain.

 

"Yeah, I get it," the girl eventually snapped back. "So are we getting to this soon....?"

 

"Please don't kill us," the meddlesome one cried out, trembling while the other two cowered behind her. "We'll be good. We'll all be good. Please don't kill us. Please....." Patricia flicked her eyes up and down the set of them, lips pursing. She glanced back at the girl in front of her. The child had pulled the sandwich out from under her hand at this point and pointedly took a bite of it. Stood up at that and moved to the doorway. 

 

"Finish your meals," she explained briskly. "I'll be back in a moment for the dishes."

 

With that, she quickly stepped out of the room and locked the door behind her.

 

~ * ~

 

"These are the most docile ones yet," Patricia said in agreement after Dennis had explained his read on the situation. "It is a rather suspicious coincidence..." Clasping her hands, she paced a bit up and down the hallway. "Might she be Pure? Oh, Dennis, what have you done?" Raising a hand to her head she sighed. "I absolutely agree we should not include her in the offering, though you will need to be the one that breaks it to Him."

 

Dennis scowled, shaking his head. He didn't think the girl Pure, he thought her useful... but if Patricia held onto that thought she'd be much more agreeable. "We need to segregate her from them," he explained. "If she's there when the beast arrives, he'll definitely... eat her." 

 

Patricia hummed and paced once more up and down the hallway's length. "She did seem so willing to help," she murmured to herself, struggling with the thought of denying the Beast what he wanted.

 

Turning smartly on her heal, she strode back to the room. Spine straight, she unlocked the door and stepped into the room before suddenly staggering back out of it. She rocked on her feet in shock and Dennis was there, suddenly in the Light. Stumbling forward back into the room, he looked around with wide eyes.

 

He could feel the Beast drawing near, circling, as he stepped over one of the several pools of blood on the floor. Turning his head, he glanced behind the door to assure himself that yes, that one too slumped dead on the floor. All three of the offerings dead, draped here and there about the room, rivers of blood still sluggishly flowing from freshly cut throats and splash patterns suggesting where they had been.

 

Drawing a deep breath, he stared hard at the final offering. She sat cross legged on the bed, staring at him patiently, several shards of plate had been arranged before her, two coated in glistening red. She smiled when he met her gaze and she nodded. "He close now, do you think?"

 

Each breath of his became more ragged as Dennis stumbled back a step. The Beast was nearly upon them. With fumbling hands, he worked the buttons of his shirt and struggled to get it off even as his breathing became more labored. The girl continued to nod, watching with an almost critical eye as tugged off his uniform and then quickly yanked off his tank top, even as he stumbled to his knees. The girl smiled and tipped her head to the side when he next looked up.

 

"Hi there," she said in a chipper voice as the Beast growled low in his throat.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the line "what kind of bird are 'you'" from Moonrise Kingdom and the idea of "how the fuck would this ever work out?" Also by talking to [hedwigs-window](https://hedwigs-window.tumblr.com/), my murder friend.


End file.
